Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) hands off to running back Joe Mixon (28) against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half of a 2025 AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Houston Texans Significantly Disrespected in Newest Rankings

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Despite the Houston Texans' move to bring in four-time Pro Bowler Nick Chubb to their backfield to pair alongside a 1,000-yard rusher in Joe Mixon, it seems this running back room has been the brunt of some wild disrespect in some new NFL rankings.

The latest slight comes from Pro Football Focus analyst Dalton Wasserman, who stacked up his NFL running back unit rankings across the league from one to 32, where the Texans' duo led by Chubb and Mixon found themselves in a bit of a lower spot than one would expect: 19th.

While Wasserman sees upside in Mixon for the 2025 season, it's beyond the Texans' RB1 where he sees a bit of concern.

"Veteran Joe Mixon leads the Texans' backfield into 2025 after logging the fifth 1,000-yard rushing season of his career. His 76.6 PFF overall grade ranked 16th among qualified running backs last season. Beyond Mixon, there are question marks," Wasserman wrote. "Houston recently signed Nick Chubb, but he lacked explosiveness last season after returning from a devastating knee injury. Dameon Pierce seems to have fallen out of favor with the team, and fourth-round rookie Woody Marks may need some time before taking on a heavy role."

Ahead of the Texans reside some interesting running back groups. The Miami Dolphins (18), New York Jets (17), Indianapolis Colts (16), and Los Angeles Chargers (15) are those that sit right ahead of Houston, while the Baltimore Ravens, led by Derrick Henry, claimed the top spot.

For the Texans' standing as one of the better running rooms in the NFL, it likely depends on how well this group is able to tap into their ceiling. With a duo of Mixon and Chubb, along with a young, high-potential pass catcher with rookie Woody Marks, there's a lot of upside in Houston's backfield that could see them emerge as one of the better units at year's end.

But, there's also a world where their ground game could fizzle out as well. Chubb has yet to be the same explosive player he was with Cleveland pre-injury and is now 30 years old, Marks is a bit unpredictable as a rookie, and even Mixon could have a few questions following his offseason injury and being in a walking boot during OTAs and minicamp, now entering his age-29 season himsef.

It's a simple high-ceiling, low-floor outlook for this Texans' ground game in 2025. Time will tell if they'll get to see the better outcome to further strengthen this offensive attack for the year ahead.

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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